A Closer Look at the Wildfire Problem

The goal of a sensible fire management policy is to recognize that our biggest challenge isn’t in reducing fire danger in the mountain chaparral — it is in reducing the ability of fire to spread downhill through the urban interface, and in increasing the ability of homes to withstand the flames and coals when it does. When homeowner Jerry Siegel spotted the first flames burning above Westmont College at 5:45 p.m., he wasn’t too worried. “It seemed so small and far away that I didn’t think much about it,” he remembered. “My wife even wanted to take the dogs out for a walk.” Instead they decided to stay home and keep track of the fire. more